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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

11/10/09 Wealthy Greenwich Handbag Maker To Be The Freshest Meat In Prison

Bourke Sentenced to One Year in Azerbaijan Bribery Case

Wall Street Journal
Chad Bray

NEW YORK—Frederic Bourke Jr., co-founder of the Dooney & Bourke handbag company, was sentenced Tuesday to one year and one day in prison after he was convicted of criminal charges in July in an alleged scheme to bribe Azerbaijan government officials.

At a hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan also ordered Mr. Bourke, 63, to pay a $1 million fine and to serve three years supervised release after he completes his prison term.

The sentence was below the range of 57 months to 71 months recommended under federal sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of as much as 10 years in prison.

The judge said, after a prosecution that dragged on for many years, it was "still not entirely clear to me whether Mr. Bourke is a victim, or a crook, or a little bit of both."

However, the judge said prison time was necessary to send a message to persons who might violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. "Such bribery must and will result in a jail sentence," the judge said.

In July, a jury found Mr. Bourke guilty of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Travel Act and making false statements to federal law-enforcement officials. He was acquitted of a single count of money-laundering conspiracy.

Harold Haddon, Mr. Bourke's lawyer, said Mr. Bourke plans to appeal his conviction, saying he believed the judge had imposed "a compassionate sentence" in the case. Mr. Haddon had sought probation in the matter.

"There is a substantial chance of winning on appeal," Mr. Haddon said. Mr. Bourke was granted bail pending appeal, which his lawyers expect to file as early as Tuesday.

Last month, Judge Scheindlin rejected Mr. Bourke's motion to set aside the conviction.

Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan had alleged Mr. Bourke was aware of an improper plot by Viktor Kozeny, president and chairman of Oily Rock Group Ltd., to bribe Azeri officials in the late 1990s to allow Mr. Kozeny's investment consortium to buy a stake in the State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic, or Socar.

Mr. Bourke met Mr. Kozeny when they were neighbors in Aspen, Colo., where Mr. Kozeny allegedly convinced Mr. Bourke to invest in his scheme, prosecutors said.

Mr. Kozeny, who is facing federal criminal charges as well as state larceny charges, is in the Bahamas, where he so far has successfully fought extradition to the U.S.

Prosecutors have said Mr. Kozeny earned the nickname the "Pirate of Prague" because of underhanded dealings in the Czech Republic during privatization of industries there in the early or mid-1990s.

PLEASE ALSO SEE:
Bloomberg
Forbes
WCAX
UPDATE:
HERE COMES THE GREENWICH TIME
NEW YORK - A Connecticut businessman has been sentenced to a year in prison for conspiring with others to corrupt the oil privatization process in Azerbaijan.......

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11/10/09 The Himes Times: Healthcare

November 10th, 2009

Dear Friends,


On any given day, the Capitol's columns, marble and statues imbue the place with a sense of history. Last Saturday night, it was overwhelming. You could almost hear the whispers of the legislators who created Social Security in 1935. You might have glimpsed the spirits of those who established Medicare 30 years later.

These programs lifted generations of seniors out of poverty and sickness. Yes, they pose serious financial challenges. But how do we value the peace-of-mind, health, and comfort of the many millions who built, taught and fought for this country?

Saturday night, the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, achieving a goal that had eluded seven presidents. I was proud to be a yes vote. Proud because it is well past time for the greatest, wealthiest country on the planet to join every other industrialized nation in offering each of its citizens access to basic health care.
Himes_Healthcare Proud because you don't need to be a business genius to see that exploding health care costs are bankrupting our state and federal governments and businesses large and small. Proud because after years of irresponsible fiscal management, Congress had the courage to find ways to pay for this legislation such that the Congressional Budget Office says it actually reduces our deficit over time.

The fight is hardly won. The Senate must act. The bill can certainly be improved. I hope that the remaining weeks of this process craft a final bill that is more aggressive on overall cost reduction and on actually improving the health of the American people. But I am encouraged that we are tackling the tough issues, and I urge you to be in contact with your senators and my office to let us know your thoughts and concerns.

Best regards,

Jim


P.S. Tomorrow I will be honoring our nations' veterans. Please join me at any of the following events:

Bridgeport Veterans Day Flag Raising

Veterans Memorial Park

Bridgeport

Norwalk Veterans Day Ceremony

Norwalk Town Hall

125 East Ave

Norwalk

Stamford Veterans Day Ceremony Reception

at the World War I "Doughboy" statue in front of the Holiday Inn

700 Main Street

Stamford

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11/10/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed

King volleyball ousted from FAA playoffs by Greenwich Academy in five sets
Greenwich Time
By Christopher Falvo Twice this season the Greenwich Academy volleyball team had gotten the best of King. The Gators snapped the Vikings' 31-match win ...
Cossette accepts $131M offer from US equity group
The Gazette (Montreal)
... and communications marketing firm, has accepted a $131 million cash bid from Mill Road Capital, a small Greenwich, Conn., private equity group. ...
Greenwich Time for Lyme sponsors LA screening of award winning documentary ...
Connectcut Plus
... Lyme," comments Deborah Burnaman, VP special events with Time for Lyme, a Greenwich, CT based Lyme disease advocacy, education and support organization. ...
Courant Football Ratings: Berlin Jumps To No. 7 In Area
Hartford Courant
New Canaan managed to hold onto first place in the state ratings with a 35-34 win over Greenwich. Glastonbury stayed No.2. 1. NEW CANAAN (8-0): Down 13 ...
Q Poll: Name Recognition Is Key At This Point; Susan Bysiewicz Leads Lamont ...
Hartford Courant
If the Democratic primary was being held today, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz would be the winner with 26 percent, followed by Greenwich Resident Ned Lamont ...



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11/10/09 BOE MEETING BRIEF: November 5, 2009 Work Session

FYI

Kim Eves
Director of Communications
Greenwich Board of Education
290 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

www.greenwichschools.org

Phone: 203-625-7415
e mail:
kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Fax: 203-869-8003

----- Original Message -----

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING BRIEF:
WORK SESSION - Thursday, November 5, 2009

Monitoring Report* E-003, Reading
Mr. John Curtin (Interim CIPL Director), Ms. Jen Mitchell (Program
Coordinator, PreK-12), and Ms. Brigid Barry (Program Administrator, 9-12)
presented this annual Reading Report. Ms. Mitchell reviewed progress
achieved and discussed initiatives and strategies for improvement. The
report will return to the Board at its November 19, 2009 meeting for
approval.

Guidance Services Report
Ms. Mary Forde (Director of PPS) and Ms. Linda Woods (Director of
Guidance, 6-12) presented a report on the Guidance Services for students
in grades 6-12. Ms. Woods provided an overview of the report and a
discussion followed with the Board on college visits by counselors,
guidance support at the alternative high school sites, vocational
counseling, evaluation plans for counselors and summer coverage for the
department.

Administration of Harris Survey in Spring 2010
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sidney Freund presented a plan for Board
discussion to reinstate the administration of the Harris Survey for the
Spring of 2010. Dr. Freund noted the opportunity to reallocate resources
for some professional learning activities to grant funding, the
availability of which was made known after the budget cycle. This
reallocation to the grant provides for the resources to pay for the
administration of the Harris Survey this year. A majority of Board
members indicated their support for the Superintendent's plan.

Student Representative on Board of Education
Board Member, Marianna Ponns Cohen, presented a report in response to a
GHS student request to consider ways for students to be more involved with
the Board of Education. Ms. Ponns Cohen and Dr. Freund met with the GHS
Student Council Executive Committee and discussed the following proposed
opportunities for increased involvement by students: 1.) include a student
representative on the GHS Headmaster initial Interview Committee, 2.)
include a student Report/Comment section on the Board's regular monthly
meeting agenda, and 3.) regular attendance at GHS Student Council's
Executive Committee Meetings by the Superintendent and a designated member
of the Board. The Board will take action on these recommendations at its
November 19, 2009 meeting

BOE 2009-10 Agenda Plan
Reviewed and adjusted per discussion. The plan is available as part of
Board materials for each work session and regular monthly meeting.

Next Board Meeting
The next meeting is the Board of Education Budget Meeting on Thursday,
November 12, 2009, 7:00 PM at Cos Cob School. The Superintendent will
present the proposed 2010-11 Budget.

Board of Education Meeting information is available on the GPS Web Site:
www.greenwichschools.org
Meeting Calendar: on GPS home page and under Board section of the site
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=881
Meeting Agenda: Posted approximately 4-5 working days prior to meeting, go
to calendar on home page or Board section of the site, click on meeting
date.


Meeting Documents: Posted approximately 3-4 working days prior to meeting
and as available, go to calendar on home page or Board section of the
site, click on meeting date.


Meeting Minutes: Posted in DRAFT form after the Board meeting, and in
Final form after Board approval on BOE Meeting Minutes page:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=88

* A Monitoring Report is a comprehensive annual report presented to the
Board of Education by Administration. The report summarizes compliance
with a given Board Policy, detailing governance issues, management issues,
and progress made toward achieving goals and objectives set in previous
reports. Monitoring Reports may be found on the GPS Web Site at:
http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=89

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